Beam shaping spectrally filtering optics and lighting devices using high-intensity narrow-spectrum light output

ABSTRACT

A lighting device includes a light source emitting light having a first bandwidth. A single optic device is coupled to the light source. The single optic device filters light having a preselected subrange of wavelengths within the first bandwidth to generate a first filtered light. The single optic device controls a shape of a beam of the filtered light. The filtered light creates a high-intensity narrow-spectrum light output. A second light source emits a high-intensity narrow-spectrum light output.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/173,743, filed Oct. 29, 2018, which claims the benefit of priorityfrom provisional Application No. 62/578,714, filed Oct. 30, 2017, theentire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference for allthat is taught.

BACKGROUND Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates generally to lighting devices. Moreparticularly, embodiments of the present disclosure are directed tomethods and devices used in connection with the lighting device thatalter the photometric distribution of a light-emitting diode (LED),including laser-diodes and quantum LEDs (QLEDS), while simultaneouslyaltering the spectral power distribution (SPD) of the emitted light.Further embodiments include a lighting device that uses both filteringoptics and non-filtering optics in a controlled manner to provide adesired lighting environment.

Description of Related Art

One known device, depicted in FIG. 1, includes a typical packaged LEDlight source, which is comprised of a blue light LED chip 12 that emitslight 11 with an emission peak in the blue wavelength range. The bluelight LED chip is protected by a resin mold 13 which encapsulates aphosphor material 14 that is excited by the blue light 11 emitted fromthe blue light LED chip. The encapsulated phosphors 14 absorb some ofthe blue light 11 from the LED and emit green and red light 15, asdetermined by the phosphor chemistry, which is combined with thenon-absorbed blue light 11 emitted from the blue light LED chip. Thisresults in white light 16 being emitted with an emission peak in theblue wavelength range.

An independent optical filter 17 is then placed in the path of theemitted white light 16, which has a blue emission peak, in an attempt tofilter some of the blue light. This results in filtered white light 18,which is claimed to have a “warmer” CCT than unfiltered white light 16.Such warmer white light is necessary for residential or hospitalityindoor applications. However, illumination devices that use secondaryfilter media in an attempt to control the spectral components of theemitted light, such as the one depicted in FIG. 1, are problematic forcommercial applications, specifically those applications where a greaterlevel of photometric control is required. Such proposed solutions resultin increased optical losses, which leads to lower system efficacy andcan potentially cause a shift in the photometric pattern of the emittedlight because the light is transmitted through a second surface whosegeometry and or refractive index can prevent light from transmittingthrough it without alterations and losses.

SUMMARY

According to an exemplary embodiment, a lighting device includes a lightsource emitting light having a first bandwidth. A single optic device iscoupled to the light source. The single optic device filters lighthaving a preselected subrange of wavelengths within the first bandwidthto generate a first filtered light. The single optic device controls ashape of a beam of the filtered light. The filtered light creates ahigh-intensity narrow-spectrum light output. A second light source emitsa high-intensity narrow-spectrum light output.

According to another exemplary embodiment, a method of making a lightingdevice includes mixing a filtering agent with an optical material,shaping the result of the mixing to form a filtering optic device, andcoupling the filtering optic device to at least one LED that emits lightwaves in a first range of wavelengths. The filtering agent filters lighthaving a preselected subrange of wavelengths within the first range ofwavelengths to generate a first filtered light. The filtering opticdevice controls a shape of a beam of the filtered light. The filteredlight creates a high-intensity narrow-spectrum light output. Thefiltered light is combined with a high-intensity narrow-spectrum lightoutput.

According to another exemplary embodiment, a lighting device includes afirst light source emitting light having a first bandwidth, and a secondlight source emitting light having a high-intensity narrow-spectrumlight output. A first optic device is coupled to the first light source.The first optic device filters light having a preselected subrange ofwavelengths within the first bandwidth and generates a first filteredlight. A second optic device is coupled to the second light source. Thesecond optic device permits the second bandwidth of light to passthrough it unfiltered. A control device is operably connected to thefirst and second light sources and operable to control whether light isemitted from one, both or neither of the first and second light sources.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the disclosed device and method are describedin detail below by way of example, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a known method of filtering blue light in accordancewith a conventional LED lighting device;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a TIR optic for an LED lighting deviceconsistent with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2B is a side elevation view of the optic shown in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2C is a front elevation view of the optic shown in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2D is a sectional view of the optic shown in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3 is a candela plot of a bare LED without a coupled optic;

FIG. 4 is a candela plot of an LED with the optic shown in FIGS. 2A-2Dcoupled to it;

FIG. 5 is a spectral chart showing the respective wavelengths forradiation in the visible and near visible spectrum.

FIG. 6 is a chromaticity diagram illustrating the relative intensitiesof different color light waves as observed by the human eye duringtypical daylight conditions;

FIG. 7 is a chart showing the different luminous efficacies of differentcolor light waves under photopic, mesopic and scotopic conditions;

FIG. 8 is a graph showing the respective transmission curves ofexemplary long pass filters for various color light waves in accordancewith the present disclosure;

FIG. 9A is a graph showing the luminous flux output, as a function ofthe wavelength, of the emitted light for a luminaire with one or LEDshaving respective beam-shaping TIR optics without a wavelength-shiftingdye;

FIG. 9B is a graph showing the luminous flux output, as a function ofthe wavelength, of the emitted light for a luminaire with one or LEDshaving respective beam-shaping TIR optics that have awavelength-shifting dye, in accordance with one or more embodiments ofthe disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a single outdoor luminaire devicehaving a plurality of both filtered and non-filters optics in accordancewith one or more embodiments;

FIG. 11 is a drawing showing a close-up view of a collection of filteredand non-filtered optics in the single luminaire of FIG. 10 in accordancewith one or more embodiments;

FIG. 12 is a table showing a list of twelve different preset values andtheir corresponding lighting parameter values for controlling the LEDscorresponding to the filtered and non-filtered optics in the luminaireof FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a graph showing the relative intensities of light ofdifferent wavelengths corresponding to the preset control values listedin the table of FIG. 12; and

FIG. 14 is a graph showing examples of relative intensities of light ofdifferent wavelengths corresponding to a high-intensity narrow-spectrum(HINS) light output.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various exemplary embodiments relate to an LED device having a singlebeam-shaping optic coupled thereto. The coupled optic, such as afree-form total internal reflection (TIR) optic, transforms thephotometric distribution of the light emitted from the LED to thedesired pattern and also provides band-pass filtering to control thespectral power distribution of the light emitted from the LED. FIGS.2A-2C illustrate one type of LED optic that can be used in connectionwith embodiments of the present application. One or more of the LEDoptical devices consistent with the present application can be utilizedwithin a luminaire assembly to illuminate a desired target area with thedesired wavelengths of light.

One or more embodiment includes a beam-shaping TIR optic of engineeredresin material, referred to herein simply as resin but including othersuitable materials such as glass and silicone. The optic is formed bymixing a filtering agent with a material suitable for an optic, such asacrylic (poly(methyl methacrylate), or simply PMMA)), plastic, silicone,glass, polymer, resin and others. The optic is optically coupled with anLED to transform the photometric distribution of the emitted light to adesired pattern, and can also be capable of providing some level ofband-pass filtering at the same time. As a result, the overall spectralpower distribution of the luminaire is controlled. While the basic useof TIR optics is known, utilizing a resin that filters and/or performs aStokes shift on the light by use of a particular material within a TIRoptic, such as a dye, phosphors, fluorescing materials and quantum dots,is not. As discussed above, current methods involve filtering theemitted light using a secondary filter media, which causes increasedoptical losses and potentially shifts the photometric pattern due to thespecific geometry and/or refractive index of the lens.

Light filtering and beam shaping by a single optic in accordance withvarious embodiments consistent with the disclosure can be used in avariety of applications including, but not limited to, general interiorlighting; general exterior lighting; flood-lighting, including lightingfor food processing and display; portable lighting; automotive lighting;mobile equipment lighting; art illumination; retail and general displaylighting; aircraft and aerospace lighting; lighting for light-sensitivebiological and pharmaceutical processes, semiconductor processing andother light sensitive applications; and lighting for medicalapplications, such as sterilization lighting devices to reduce orinactivate bacteria.

Filtering specific wavelengths of light to emit a controlled spectraldensity and influencing the spectrum in accordance with presentapplication can be used, for example, to limit or prevent specificfrequencies of visible or non-visible light from being projected into anenvironment, for preferential reasons or in an effort to prevent adverseor undesirable environmental, physiological and/or technicalconsequences. Improvement of color quality in various lightingapplications is another result of carrying out techniques disclosedherein, such as, in regard to the hospitality and retail lighting space.

In addition to providing a lighting solution that includes spectrallyfiltering optics further aspects of a lighting device disclosed hereininclude both filtered and non-filtered optics. According to exemplaryembodiments light modules that include one or more filtered optics areprovided in a single luminaire along with light modules that havenon-filtering optics. Depending on the light output desired, forexample, wavelength, color temperature and other spectral components,the light modules are activated in a controlled manner to achieve thedesired effect.

In accordance with further exemplary embodiments a dynamic system isprovided. The dynamic system consists of LED arrays configured with acombination of filtering optics and standard clear, non-filtering,optics, e.g., made of PMMA. According to further exemplary embodimentsthe dynamic system is combined with a controller, such as either awireless or wireline controller, that controls which LED, orcombinations of LEDs, is activated. According to these exemplaryembodiments any combination of filtered and non-filtered optics within asingle lighting device, e.g., luminaire, can be achieved.

According to one or more exemplary embodiments, a self-containedintelligent wireless control module, or PCB integrated design, isprovided which contains one or more independently controlled switchingoutputs and one or more digital and/or analog 0-10V outputs, which canbe used to switch power and make operating current adjustments toconnected LED power supplies and provide full-range dimming.

Each intelligent wireless, or wireline, control module is capable ofcontrolling one or more fixtures and can be individually controlled orgrouped with other lighting devices. The wireless control modulecommunicates, for example, via 900 MHz radio frequency to other deviceswithin a wireless self-organizing and self-healing mesh network.

Both wireless and non-wireless standalone controller and integrateddesigns utilize non-volatile memory where time-based adaption or controlcan be programed, stored and autonomously activated.

According to one aspect of the invention a lighting device is providedthat includes a light source emitting light having a first bandwidth,and a single optic device coupled to the light source, wherein thesingle optic device filters light having a preselected subrange ofwavelengths within the first bandwidth to generate a first filteredlight and controls a shape of a beam of the filtered light.

According to another aspect of the invention a lighting device isprovided that includes a first light source emitting light having afirst bandwidth, a second light source emitting light having a secondbandwidth, a first optic device coupled to the first light source,wherein the first optic device filters light having a preselectedsubrange of wavelengths within the first bandwidth and generates a firstfiltered light. The luminaire further includes a second optic devicecoupled to the second light source, wherein the second optic devicepermits the second bandwidth of light to pass through it unfiltered. Acontrol device is further provided that is operably connected to thefirst and second light sources and is operable to control whether lightis emitted from one, both or neither of the first and second lightsources.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, a method of making alighting device is provided that includes mixing a filtering agent withan optical material, shaping the result of the mixing operation to forma filtering optic device and coupling the filtering optic device to atleast one LED that emits light waves in a first range of wavelengths.According to this aspect the filtering agent absorbs light waves havinga wavelength within a subrange of the first range of wavelengths and thefiltering optic device controls a beam shape of the lighting device.

Exemplary embodiments of devices consistent with the present disclosureinclude one or more of the novel features described in detail below. Forexample, one or more of the exemplary embodiments disclosed include aTIR optic coupled to an LED device, the optic being formed with one ormore materials for absorbing a band of visible light waves and shiftingthe wavelength of at least a portion of the absorbed light bandwidth toone or more wavelengths outside the absorbed bandwidth.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a TIR optical lens 200, or optic, foran LED lighting device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. FIGS.2B and 2C are side and front elevation views, respectively, of optic200. Optic 200 is a free-form optic made of acrylic, or some otherappropriate material, such as plastic, silicone, glass, polymer, resinand others. According to the embodiment shown, free-form optic 200includes one or more reflective or refractive surfaces 210, 220, 230,240, 250, 260, 270, the shapes of which are uniquely designed to controland shape the emitted light to a desired pattern. FIG. 2D is a cut-away,or sectional, view of optic 200 cut along the center line. The externalrefractive surfaces are shown in FIG. 2D as well as internal cavity 225,which houses an LED chip (not shown).

FIG. 3 is a candela plot of a bare board LED in accordance with thepresent application. More particularly, as illustrated by the dashedline 305 on plot 300 on the left-hand side of FIG. 3, a bare LED (notshown), that is, and LED without a beam shaping TIR optic coupled to it,provides light intensity that is a maximum, about 4,055 candelas in theexample shown in FIG. 3, at a point directly below the LED, i.e., 0degrees vertical angle. The light intensity steadily decreases as thevertical angle increases to about 0.0 candelas at a vertical angle of 90degrees and remains at 0.0 candelas at vertical angles greater than 90degrees, i.e., above the plane of the LED.

By way of example and by no means limiting, the right-hand side 350 ofFIG. 3 is a candela plot that shows the relative intensity of light forthe bare LED as measured from a horizontal plane. As shown by thesemi-circular plot 355, a bare LED positioned to illuminate in avertical direction and without any optic coupled to it provides an evenmaximum intensity at all horizontal angles. For example, the LED in FIG.3 is positioned at the spot labeled “X”, and at a given height, e.g., 20feet, above the horizontal plane, e.g., the ground. Plot 355 shows thatthe maximum intensity, i.e., approximately 4,055 candelas, isilluminated in a consistent circular pattern. That is, the same maximumluminous intensity value, i.e., 4055 candelas, is measured at eachlateral angle.

FIG. 4 is a candela plot similar to the plot shown in FIG. 3, but withone major difference. Instead of measuring the bare LED, as in FIG. 3,FIG. 4 is the candela plot when the TIR optic shown in FIGS. 2A-2D iscoupled to the LED. The left-hand side 400 of FIG. 4 includes dottedline plot 405 which has a much more narrow distribution than thecorresponding plot in FIG. 3 for the bare LED. Specifically, as shown,the maximum luminous intensity of the LED with optic is shown to beapproximately 15,719 candelas and this maximum intensity occurs at avertical angle of approximately 67.5 degrees, i.e., at the point labeled410.

The right-hand side, 450, of FIG. 4 shows the luminous intensitydistribution through a plane that includes the maximum candela value,i.e., approximately 15,719 candelas. As shown, an elongated distributionis achieved along the maximum intensity plane at a lateral angle ofabout 72.5 degrees, i.e., at point 460.

Thus, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in accordance with one aspect of thepresent application, by coupling a specifically designed optic, such asthe one shown in FIG. 2A-2D, to an LED, it is possible to shape thelight from the LED to a desired pattern. The light pattern shown in FIG.4, for example, would be useful for illuminating an object or objects inan open area, such as in a parking lot or a street.

Shaping the light beam such that the light intensity is directed in theprecise directions desired for a particular purpose is only one aspectof the present application. Controlling the spectral content of theemitted light is another aspect. In accordance with one exemplaryembodiment the spectral content of the emitted light is controlled suchthat the amount of blue light emitted from the luminaire is vastlyreduced or eliminated.

FIG. 5 is a spectral chart showing the respective wavelengths forradiation in the visible and near visible spectrum. The human eyerecognizes, or “sees,” light in the visible spectrum, which includeslight waves with wavelengths ranging from about 380 nm to about 780 nm.The portion of the spectrum with wavelengths below 380 nm is known asnear-ultra-violet to ultra-violet radiation and wavelengths above 740 nmare known as infra-red radiation. Moreover, within the overall range ofvisible light, each wavelength represents a different color, as seen bythe human eye. For example, blue light has a wavelength that ranges fromabout 435 nm to about 500 nm, and green light is in the range from about520 nm to about 565 nm.

FIG. 6 illustrates the luminosity function or luminous efficiencyfunction which describes the average spectral sensitivity of humanvisual perception of brightness. It is based on subjective judgments ofwhich of a pair of different-colored lights is brighter, to describerelative sensitivity to light of different wavelengths. It should not beconsidered perfectly accurate in every case, but it is a very goodrepresentation of visual sensitivity of the human eye and it is valuableas a baseline for experimental purposes. These are referred to as“photopic” conditions. Thus, as illustrated, during photopic conditionsthe human eye is most sensitive to green light, that is, light with awavelength of approximately 555 nm. As shown in the figure, yellow andcyan are the next most recognizable colors, e.g., from an intensitystandpoint, followed by blue and orange and then violet and red.

FIG. 7 shows the relative difference in the way in which the human eyeresponds to light of different frequencies, or wavelengths, i.e.,luminous efficacy, during daylight (photopic), twilight (mesopic) andextremely low-light (scotopic) conditions, respectively. As shown, whenthe viewing environment is dark, such as, during night time hours whenno moon is shining, the luminous efficacy curve shifts downward, i.e.,to the left in FIG. 7, as compared to the photopic response. Under theseconditions the human eye is most sensitive to blue light, e.g., lighthaving a wavelength of about 507 nm or so.

Accordingly, when lighting having a significant amount of blue light,such as the white light LEDs discussed above, is used to illuminatetargets outdoors at night, light in the blue wavelength range that isscattered into the environment, e.g. Rayleigh scattering, will have themost impact on the night sky. In other words, humans will recognize thescattered blue light portion of any scattered white light more thancolors of other wavelengths. Thus, street lights and flood lights thatuse bright white LEDs contribute a significant amount of blue light intothe sky when the light is either reflected off an object or when thelight beam is not sufficiently controlled and some of the light isdirectly emitted into the sky. Such conditions are a significant causeof light pollution as discussed above.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the application, targetedblue light wavelengths are absorbed by the physical components of a TIRoptic, such as the one depicted in FIGS. 2A-2D, and the emitted spectralcontent is shifted. For example, a dye that is able to absorb light inblue wavelength range is mixed with an acrylic material used to make theoptic. As a result, a band of wavelengths comprising blue light, fromthe overall white light spectrum outputted from a white light LED, isabsorbed by the dye, while light of other wavelengths outside theabsorbed band are permitted to pass through the optic. Any scatteredlight from, for example, a street light employing one or more LEDdevices in accordance with the present embodiment, that would otherwisecontribute to light pollution as discussed above would not be emittedinto the night sky.

According to a further exemplary embodiment, filtered optics inaccordance with the invention are used to filter harmful lightwavelengths before light of these wavelengths are permitted to come intocontact and/or be absorbed by various food products. According to theseand other embodiments, specific wavelengths of light, e.g., blue lightin the 400-500 nanometer range, is filtered from the emitted light ofone or more LEDs. Such LEDs provide illumination of the food orbeverage, such as meat, cheese, milk, and other dairy products, as wellas soft drinks, fruit juices and even beer, just to name a few.

The method by which the specific light waves are filtered from theemitted light include a filtering optic at the light source, such as oneor more of the optics described above and illustrated in the drawings.Another method for filtering the appropriate wavelengths of light priorto it being absorbed by solid or liquid food, includes providingpackaging for the food that filters the appropriate wavelengths. Forexample, a bottle for packaging milk, beer or some other beverage thatis readily affected by light waves, is produced having a light filteringproperty.

The present embodiment would be appealing, for example, toowners/operators of milk/dairy farms and processing facilities which,like others, are very interested, compelled even, to reduce the energyconsumption at their facilities as a means to offset electrical lightingand related HVAC costs.

Unfortunately, as mentioned above, milk is susceptible to “lightactivated” flavors and nutrient reduction, specifically to wavelengthsof light below 500 nm, which some producers have attempted to somewhatmitigate through the use of colored packaging (e.g., yellow and/or UVcoated). The costs associated with opaque and light-blocking packaging,however, are difficult to recover from the consumer. Additionally, theproduction, processing, refrigeration and related transportationfacilities utilize light sources, such as inefficient Metal Halide &Fluorescent lights, which are targets for more energy-efficient LEDlighting technology. While these legacy sources produce UV which hasalso been shown to affect the quality of the food product, they producesubstantially much less blue light in the 400-500 nm range, incomparison to LEDs.

LED light sources were not available when the bulk of the research wasconducted for the development of the packing and coating systems used ondairy products. In view of the advancement to LED illumination,therefore, a resin consistent with embodiments disclosed herein offer asuitable improvement over current packaging. Specifically, the currentresin used by the dairy and other beverage industries in their bottlingprocesses do not filter or up-shift unwanted wavelengths of light, suchas damaging blue light. Resins and other materials made in accordancewith embodiments disclosed herein, however, perform such filtering andshifting, as described above.

Thus, as the grocery industry shifts towards the use of LEDrefrigeration case lighting, that is, lighting that contains more bluecontent than traditional light sources, dairy products packaged in whiteand/or clear packing will experience far greater spoilage rates. Toreduce or eliminate such increased spoilage, filtering optics at thelight source and/or packaging made from a resin or other material thatabsorbs and/or shifts the blue light wavelengths in accordance with oneor more embodiments of the invention will overcome the problem.

Other exemplary embodiments of the present invention that utilize thefiltered optics include, but are not limited to, (1) general ambient ortask illumination used in food production, processing, refrigeratedstorage and related transportation (e.g., source to shelf), (2)refrigeration lights used in consumer and professional appliances, (3)refrigeration lights used in professional retail case appliances, (4)interior cargo lights used by dairy, meat, and agriculturaltransportation industry, and (5) industrial/commercial luminairesutilized in related production/processing/refrigeration/transportationof dairy/meat/produce (i.e., food). Moreover, potential new uses forfiltered optics materials that are unrelated to illumination include,(1) product packaging and (2) display case windows.

Beer, for example, is typically bottled and packaged in areasilluminated with High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lights. This is because HPSlights do not emit a significant amount of light having wavelengths inthe critical range of around 350-500 nm. If during the bottling process,and through to the case packing operation where the bottles are nolonger exposed to the light, the bottles are exposed to light for aninordinate amount of time, such as when a machine breaks down, etc., thecontent of all of the exposed bottles must be disposed of.

An exemplary LED that can be used in accordance with one or moreembodiments is a bright white light LED such as the Nichia 219B LED byNichia Corporation. As mentioned above, such white light LEDs tend toemit a significant amount of blue light which ideally should be filteredor Stokes-shifted, to provide a more acceptable spectral content. Inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, a dye forabsorbing blue light is mixed into the plastic or acrylic material usedto form the TIR optic.

One known dye that can be incorporated into the plastic optic inaccordance with various embodiments is DYE 500 nmLP by Adam Gates &Company, LLC of Hillsborough, N.J. This particular dye is a yellow freeflowing powder material that can be melted and mixed evenly with theplastic or acrylic material used for forming the main optic structure.One suitable material is an acrylic polymer resin material, such asPlexiglas® V825 by Altuglas International.

FIG. 8 illustrates the transmission curve for the 500 nmLP dye. Moreparticularly, curve 810 shows the relative transmission levels forradiation that impinges on the dye. As shown, 100% of radiation having awavelength above 500 nm is transmitted and 0% of radiation havingwavelength below about 480 nm is transmitted. Radiation with wavelengthsbetween 480 nm and 500 nm is substantially absorbed by the dye. In otherwords, virtually blue light, including violet and ultra-violet light, isabsorbed by the dye and all green, yellow, orange and red light,including magenta and infra-red light, is permitted to pass through thedye. Also, optics in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention, including embodiments of direct LED optics and embodimentswhere various packaging is made of the spectrally filtering resin orother material, are made from one or more different processes, includingvarious forms of blow-molding, such as, extrusion blow molding,injection blow molding, stretch blow molding and reheat and blowmolding.

In accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, at least some of thelight waves emitted from the LED and entering the optic isStokes-shifted to a higher wavelength. That is, due to the properties offluorescent material, the light that is absorbed in the dye, i.e., inthe present example, blue light, is re-emitted at wavelengths higherthan the absorbed blue light. Thus, not only is the amount of blue lightultimately emitted from the optic virtually removed, but the luminousflux, i.e., the perceived power of the light emitted from the optic, isnot reduced by a value near as high as the amount of light absorbed. Inother words, in addition to light having a wavelength of about 455 nm,or so, i.e., blue light, being removed from the emitted spectrum,additional light having wavelengths above 455 nm is also emitted.

FIG. 9A is a graph showing the luminous flux output as a function of thewavelength of the emitted light for a luminaire in accordance with oneor more embodiments of the disclosure. In this exemplary embodiment, TIRoptics similar to the optic of FIGS. 2A-2D were coupled to each LED butno dye was mixed into the acrylic material used to form the TIR optic.Specifically, a flood light luminaire having 72 individualbroad-spectrum white light LEDs coupled to respective optic devices wasconfigured and various test measurements were observed. As shown in FIG.9A, the light emitted from the luminaire has a first maxima 910 atwavelengths of about 450 nm and a second maxima 920 at about 560 nm.

FIG. 9B is a graph that shows the luminous flux for the same luminaireas the one used in connection with FIG. 9A, but with one majordifference. The fluorescent dye discussed above is mixed in with theacrylic material when forming the TIR optic. As shown in FIG. 9B, thespectral content of the light emitted from the luminaire is devoid ofradiation wavelengths less than about 455 nm, e.g., corresponding to thefirst maxima 910 in FIG. 9A. Moreover, the spectrum of the emitted lighthas shifted towards higher wavelengths. For example, the peak wavelengthin FIG. 9B is about 560 nm, i.e., which corresponds to the second maximain FIG. 9A. However, the peak luminous flux in FIG. 9B, i.e., at 560 nm,is greater in magnitude than the value corresponding to the secondmaxima in 9A. This indicates that at least some of the absorbed bluelight, e.g., around 455 nm, has been shifted to green light, e.g., 560nm.

While various embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the disclosedmethod and device, it will be understood by those skilled in the artthat other modifications may be made without departing from the scope ofthe disclosure as defined by the appended claims. For example, theexemplary embodiment described above for removing blue light from thespectrum of emitted light and controlling the beam shape forilluminating an outdoor object, such as a road, etc., is merely onepractical application of the present disclosure. Specifically, it iscontemplated that other wavelengths of radiation can be absorbed andused to shift the spectral content, and other beam shapes as defined bythe configuration of the optic and are within the spirit and scope ofthe disclosure.

For example, it has been found that at night, artificial light disruptsthe human body's biological clock, i.e., the circadian rhythm and, thus,humans exposed to inordinate amounts of light experience higher rates ofsleep dysfunction. Moreover, research has shown that excess light,particularly at night, may contribute to the causation of cancer,diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Blue light tends to be the mostdisruptive on the human body, especially at night.

Independent experiments have found that blue light suppressed melatoninfor about twice as long as green light and shifted circadian rhythms bytwice as much. Thus, various lighting applications would benefit fromreducing the amount of emitted blue light and possibly shifting some ofthe blue light to green or red light and such applications are intendedto be within the scope of this disclosure.

It should be understood that the method and device disclosed herein isnot limited to any one or limited range of wavelengths of radiated beamshapes. More particularly, another application, by way of example, forthe beam-shaping and spectral content controlling nature of thedisclosure related to illumination of artwork. That is, all light causesirreversible damage to artworks. The extent of the deterioration dependson the type of light source, its intensity and the length of exposurethe artwork is subjected to. Because light damage to artwork isaccumulative, the longer the artwork is exposed, the more extensive thedamage.

Natural light is an intense source of energy and contains ultra-violet(UV) radiation. Because most artworks are composed of organic materials,for example, as found in various paint, artworks are particularlyvulnerable to UV wavelengths. This causes different forms of damage,including discoloration. Radiation in the visible spectrum also causes alarge amount of damage and discoloration to artworks. Thus, controllingthe spectral content of the emitted radiation when illuminating artworksand also controlling the beam shape to provide an efficient illuminationpattern can be a useful tool for effectively displaying artwork andsimultaneously protecting the artwork from undue radiation damage.

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate a luminaire in accordance with a furtherexemplary embodiment where both filtered and non-filtered optics, eachcorresponding to one or more LEDs, are utilized to achieve a customizedlighting solution. According to this embodiment, a controller unit (notshown) is used to activate the LEDs corresponding to the filtered andnon-filtered optics in a controlled manner. For example, a number ofpreset control values are used to alter which particular LEDs areactivated at a particular time of day, thus achieving a desired lightingeffect depending on the particular preset values used. An exemplarywireless controller consistent with the embodiments disclosed herein isdisclosed in U.S. published patent application number 2012-0136485, theentire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Althoughthe controller disclosed in this U.S. published application can be used,other controllers, either wireless or wireline, can also be usedconsistent with these and other embodiments.

According to one aspect of these exemplary embodiments, the wirelesscontrols provide programmable LED lighting which reduces and filters thewavelengths in traditional light sources that emulate daylight. Aluminaire with filtered and non-filtered optics according to thisembodiment is programmed with presets to provide varying degrees oflight “adaption” from, for example, dusk-to-dawn or customized for theparticular application. Preset modes allow desired reduction of the“blue light” wavelengths of light during the night time operation of theluminaire.

FIG. 12 is a chart providing twelve (12) exemplary “presets,” 1-12,listed in the left-hand column. Corresponding to each preset value arerespective power, CCT, illuminance and CRI values. According to atime-of-day timer or some other pre-programmed set of controls, varyingamounts of “blue light” is filtered from the overall emitted light fromthe luminaire. As illustrated, different control values can be useddepending on whether the lighting device, e.g., luminaire, is located inan urban or mixed use setting, a low population density area, or an areasuch as a national park or other protected environment.

FIG. 13 shows a series of spectral distributions emitted from a givenluminaire equipped with both filtered and non-filtered optics inaccordance with the present embodiment. According to this embodiment theindividual LEDs corresponding to the optics are controlled in accordancewith the presets, 1-12, listed in the table of FIG. 12. As shown, asdifferent combinations of LEDs corresponding to filtered andnon-filtered optics are operated in accordance with the preset values,the amount of “blue light” in the wavelength band near 450 nm isaltered. More particular, in the embodiment of FIG. 13 the relativeintensity of the “blue light” emitted from the luminaire is reduced fromabout 23.0 when preset value 1 is used down to about 1.0 when the presetvalue 12 is used. This enables a desired spectral content to be achievedin a controllable manner using the same luminaire populated with bothfiltered and non-filtered optics.

According to another exemplary embodiment, beam shaping and/orwavelength shifting is utilized with a high-intensity narrow-spectrum(HINS) light output. One example of HINS light output is aroundapproximately 380-440 nanometers. In certain embodiments the lightoutput can be between 400-420 nanometers, and in certain embodiments thelight output can be focused around an output of 405 nanometers. FIG. 14shows the light output of an exemplary LED outputting light focused inthis range, which may be used to potentially reduce or help suppressbacterial pathogens in environments, such as, but not limited to,hospitals, food preparation and storage, areas of mass congregation andthe like. In an exemplary embodiment the light is configured to producean output with a peak around approximately 405 nanometers. Light in thiswavelength produces violet light that may be capable of generatingreactive oxygen species (ROS) such as hydrogen peroxide, oxygensinglets, and OH groups in certain microbes. Similar to previousembodiments shown or described herein, light in the approximately380-440 or 380-420 nanometer band can be combined with additional lightsources to create lights that have a more traditional light outputcombined with the potential microbial and bacterial suppressingproperties of the HINS lights, and the light can be shifted andcontrolled as discussed above.

What is claimed is:
 1. A lighting device comprising: a housing; a first light source positioned in the housing, the first light source emitting light having a first bandwidth; a single optic device coupled to the light source, wherein the single optic device filters light having a preselected subrange of wavelengths within the first bandwidth to generate a first filtered light, the single optic device controls a shape of a beam of the filtered light; and a second light source positioned in the housing, the second light source emitting a high-intensity narrow-spectrum focused light output, wherein the second light source is configured for medical sterilization.
 2. The lighting device recited in claim 1, wherein the single optic device is a free-form optic made of a material into which a filtering agent is disposed prior to forming the single optic device and the filtering agent filters the light having a preselected subrange of wavelengths.
 3. The lighting device recited in claim 1, wherein the high-intensity narrow-spectrum light output is between approximately 380-440 nanometers.
 4. The lighting device recited in claim 3, wherein the high-intensity narrow-spectrum light output is between approximately 400-420 nanometers.
 5. The lighting device recited in claim 1, wherein the high-intensity narrow-spectrum light output has a peak output of approximately 405 nanometers.
 6. The lighting device recited in claim 1, wherein the single optical device shifts light from within the first bandwidth to within a second bandwidth not included in the first bandwidth.
 7. The lighting device recited in claim 1, wherein said single optic device is a free-form optic made of a material into which a filtering agent is disposed prior to forming the single optic device and said filtering agent filters said light having a preselected subrange of wavelengths.
 8. A method of making a lighting device comprising: mixing a filtering agent with an optical material; shaping the result of the mixing to form a filtering optic device; coupling the filtering optic device to at least one LED that emits light waves in a first range of wavelengths, wherein the filtering agent filters light having a preselected subrange of wavelengths within the first range of wavelengths to generate a first filtered light and the filtering optic device controls a shape of a beam of the filtered light; and combining the filtered light with a high-intensity narrow-spectrum focused light output to provide medical sterilization.
 9. The method recited in claim 8, wherein the filtering optic device is a TIR optic.
 10. The method recited in claim 8, wherein the filtering optic is only coupled to the LED.
 11. The methods of claim 8, wherein the high-intensity narrow-spectrum light output is in the range of approximately 380 to approximately 440 nanometers.
 12. The methods of claim 11, wherein the high-intensity narrow-spectrum light output is in the range of approximately 400 to approximately 420 nanometers.
 13. The method recited in claim 8, further comprising combining the filtering optic device with a non-filtering optic device within a luminaire device, wherein the non-filtering optic device does not include the filtering agent.
 14. The method recited in claim 8, wherein the filtering agent includes one or more of a dye, phosphors, fluorescing material and quantum dots.
 15. A lighting device comprising: a housing; a first light source positioned in the housing, the first light source emitting light having a first bandwidth; a second light source positioned in the housing, the second light source emitting light having a high-intensity narrow-spectrum focused light output, wherein the second light source is configured for medical sterilization; a first optic device coupled to the first light source, wherein the first optic device filters light having a preselected subrange of wavelengths within the first bandwidth and generates a first filtered light; a second optic device coupled to the second light source, wherein the second optic device permits the second bandwidth of light to pass through it unfiltered; and a control device operably connected to the first and second light sources and operable to control whether light is emitted from one, both or neither of the first and second light sources.
 16. The lighting device recited in claim 15, wherein the control device is a wireless control device operable to control each of the first and second light sources via wireless control signals.
 17. The lighting device recited in claim 15, wherein the high-intensity narrow-spectrum light output corresponds to a range of wavelengths that can reduce or suppress bacterial pathogens.
 18. The lighting device recited in claim 15, wherein the high-intensity narrow-spectrum light output is between approximately 380-440 nanometers.
 19. The lighting device recited in claim 18, wherein the high-intensity narrow-spectrum light output is between approximately 400-420 nanometers.
 20. The lighting device recited in claim 15, wherein the high-intensity narrow-spectrum light output has a peak output of approximately 405 nanometers. 